Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees

Carpenter Bee Identification Signs of Infestation of Carpenter Bees Recommended Measures for Carpenter Bee Control

Carpenter bees get their common name from their habit of boring into wood to make galleries for the rearing of young. These are worldwide in distribution with 7 species occurring in the United States. They don't have a hive as honey bees, but are solitary bees.The female Carpenter bee can get into small areas,boring holes.

They are perfectly round, about 3/8 " in diameter.

The female carpenter bee will bore a channel or main corridor in the wood from 6 " to as long as 4 feet to lay their eggs in "galleries". She will deposit an egg, bring in a mass of pollen for the newly hatched larvae to feed on, and then seal it all off to ensure it's development before she repeats the process for the next egg.

Although, they are a wood boring insect, they are not considered a true structural pest. They do not spread through out the entire structure, but prefer unpainted or finished wood.

CARPENTER BEE IDENTIFICATION

Picture courtesy : Kansas State University Research and Extension

Adult body length is about 1/2 to1 inch (12.5 to 25 mm). They are robust, resembling bumble bees, but larger, with the top surface of abdomen mostly bare and shiny.

The male has a yellow face. The female's is black.

They can resemble bumble bees, but the upper surface of their abdomen is bare and shiny black, while bumble bees have a hairy abdomen with at least some yellow markings.

Bumble bees don't nest in the wood, but rather on the ground.

carpenter bee bumble bee

SIGNS OF CARPENTER BEE INFESTATIONS

Carpenter bees get their name from their ability to drill through wood and nest in it. Their drilling will create a nearly perfect hole approximately 1/2 inch in diameter. You will see round holes and a coarse sawdust-like substance called frass underneath the holes. The holes are perfectly round and are about 3/8 inch in diameter. You may find old holes near the newer ones. Old nests can be used year after year by the carpenter bee. Their holes are usually located on the underside of any wood surface including siding, soffits, overhangs, decks, fence posts, fascia boards and window frames.

HABITS

During the spring, the males seek out the females, hovering around females that found some unfinished wood, such as under eaves, railings, etc. The males are territorial and will confront you if you enter their territory, but they are incapable of stinging. Females have a stinger, but are very docile. Females will nest in a all types of wood, but prefer weathered and unpainted wood.

Male carpenter bees tend to be territorial and can buzz around you if you approach closely, sometimes hovering a short distance in front of your face or buzzing around your head. Since males have no stinger, these actions are just for show and intimidation.

The female bee can squeeze through incredibly tiny places to bore into untreated wood.

RECOMMENDED MEASURES OF CONTROL

Prevention and Current Infestations

Prevention is the operative word. In the early spring, before the carpenter bees can begin to bore into the wood an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Treatment is usually best done before nesting activity gets started. Nesting and the rearing of young carpenter bees occur in the late spring or early summer . Treat when the bees are seen early in the spring. for best results. Treat with the residual insecticides shown below.

If you have a current infestation , you may not only want to spray with a residual insecticide or aerosol as seen in the table below, but dust a residual dust such as Delta Dust in all the new openings.

Table of Recommended Products for Carpenter Bee Control
Demon WP		Cyper WP
Cyonara 9.7		250 Propoxur Residual Insecticide Aerosol
The Demon WP, Cyper WP, Cyonara 9.7 have a 3 month residue. The 250 Propopoxur Residual Aerosol would not require a sprayer, but would only last 4 weeks.
Delta Dust	The Delta Dust and Drione Dust both last about 6 months and both work equally effective	Drione Dust

Save money by these Carpenter Bee Kits

Carpenter Bee Control Kit with Cyper WP/14 oz. Bellow Duster

Contains: 1lb of Cyper WP(makes 24-48 gallons),8 oz. Bellow Duster with extension, 1 lb. of Delta Dust and 20 1/2" Tapered Corks

cyper wp

Cyper WP-1 lb

1 lb. Delta Dust

Bellow Duster 8oz.

20- 1/2" Tapered Corks

Carpenter Bee Control Kit with Cyonara 9.7/ 14 oz. Bellow Duster

Contains: 8 oz. of Cyonara 9.7 (makes 10-40 gallons), 8 oz. Bellow Duster, 1 lb. of Delta Dust and 20 1/2" Tapered Corks

Cyonara 9.7- 8 oz.

delta dust

Delta Dust 1lb

Bellow Duster 8 oz.

20- 1/2" Tapered Corks

How to use the Carpenter Bee Kits

1. Spray the areas where they are boring in any unpainted or unvarnished wood. Sometimes they may be boring in painted or varnished wood. Their holes are usually located on the underside of any wood surface including siding, soffits, overhangs, decks, fence posts, fascia boards and window frames. We recommend spraying during the spring twice at intervals of 3-4 weeks.

Carpenter bees like the WP (wettable powder formulations) such as Demon WP, Cyper WP , but will leave a film residue visible on medium to dark wood, in that case use Cyonara 9.7that will dry clear.

For severe infestations of carpenter bees on cedar and log structures, you may need to repeat the treatments more than twice.. We suggest a interval of two weeks .After each spray treatment , apply Delta Dust or Drione Dust to all possible carpenter bee holes or entry points.

Demon WP, Cyper WP(wettable powder, and Cyonara 9.7 will last 2 to 3 months, leaving a residual for that long, taking it through most of their season. Cynoff EC(emulsifiable concentrate) , Viper and Demon EC have a four week residue.

2. If you have a current infestation, dust as many carpenter bee holes as possible. Fill the duster 1/2 with dust and dust into the openings.Although their holes appear to be only an inch or two deep, it usually extends at a 90 degree angle. The female will turn 90 degrees and bore a channel from 6 inches to as long as 4 feet. This channel serves as a main corridor from which she will drill small chambers a few inches deep. These chambers become egg holders. She will deposit an egg, bring in some food, and then seal it off to ensure the egg's development.

It may be difficult to treat each individual gallery with a dust , aerosol or liquid residual insecticide, as you can see by the carpenter gallery picture, but is important if you have a current infestation.

3. You can plug up the entrances with 1/2"cork , putty or caulking compound after all the bees are killed. A safe time to plug entrances would be in the early fall months.
If you plug up the entrances too early, you would not allow the carpenter bees to pass thru the insecticide dust to pass freely and they may chew new openings in other locations.

You can kill the hovering males with a contact aerosol such as: CB 80 Pyrethrin Aerosol. The only reason for killing the males is their nuisance factor, since they can't sting.

Using a pump garden type of sprayer like: Chapin one gallon pump sprayer or Chapin two gallon pump sprayer can spray 10-15 feet to reach any hard to reach areas.

Or you can use a Gilmour hose end sprayers if you are using the non wettable powder (wp) formulations such as Cyonara 9.7 Insecticide. The WP formulations will clog up the hose end sprayers, and you would need the pump type of sprayer such as the Chapin Pump Sprayers.